Fish pulls out of ATP event
Date published :
01 Aug 2011 - 22:30:05
Eighth-ranked Mardy Fish withdrew from the $1.4 million ATP Washington Classic on Monday, one day after the American suffered an injured heel in an ATP final loss at Los Angeles.
Fish, who won an ATP event two weeks ago in Atlanta, lost the Los Angeles final 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to 84th-ranked Latvian Ernests Gulbis and would have been playing three weeks in a row ahead of Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati.
American Wayne Odesnik was inserted in the draw as a lucky loser to replace Fish, who would have been the second seed in Washington behind Frenchman Gael Monfils.
American veteran James Blake, who won the 2002 Washington crown, was set to face Japan's Tatsuma Ito in Monday's featured first-round match.
The winner will play Argentina's David Nalbandian, the defending champion and eighth seed, who was among 16 seeds to receive opening-round byes.
